


Blind

by pcyjunguwudays



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Anger, Angst, Fights, Hospitals, Hurt!Mark Lee, Hurt/Comfort, I Love You, I'm so sorry Mark Lee, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Major Character Injury, Medical Inaccuracies, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:07:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22862986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pcyjunguwudays/pseuds/pcyjunguwudays
Summary: “Hyung, what’s going on?” Donghyuck called. Johnny took a deep breath.“Mark fell down the stairs and hurt his head. He’s unconscious, he won’t wake up.”**********“Don’t leave me, hyung,” Mark’s eyes opened again suddenly, trying to focus on Johnny. “Please don’t leave me.”“I’m right here, don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere, Mark.” Even as the paramedics slowly took Mark out of Johnny’s arms and onto a stretcher, Mark did not let go of Johnny, and Johnny did not let go of Mark. Mark drifted back into unconsciousness as they injected him with something Johnny didn’t bother asking the name of, and finally Mark’s fingers went slack against his hand. Johnny clambered into the back of the ambulance and clipped his seatbelt into place. It was then he noticed that his sleeve was drenched in blood.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 102





	Blind

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has a couple of references to my Johnny-centric fic called 'Secrets', but it's not necessary to read that to understand this one (though of course, you're welcome to have a look at that one if you want to!)
> 
> I'm so sorry Mark Lee baby ily lots <3

“So who’s paying for food today?” Taeyong called across both tables with a grin. It had been a while since they’d all gotten together, as Taeyong and Mark had been busy with SuperM activities, and Sicheng was often on schedules with WayV. In fact, it was their first meal as ten in over a year, a very special occasion. “Johnny?”

“No way!” Johnny complained as everyone cheered. “We’ll just rock, paper, scissors it!”

“Two people should split it,” Mark added, prompting a wave of laughter. “What? It’s expensive!”

“Aw, is Mark broke?” Jaehyun teased him, and Mark rolled his eyes. 

“Listen, I am  _ not _ paying for a million won’s worth of food all by myself.”

“Fine then,” Taeyong called, standing up to be heard. “One from my table, one from yours?”

“That’s fair,” Johnny shrugged. “Gather round, kids.” The scraping of chairs filled the room as everyone got up, gathering around their respective tables.

“I’ll count,” Doyoung offered. “One, two, three!” 

Mark cursed as he was knocked out immediately; he’d drawn rock, while the rest of the members had opted for paper. He groaned, facepalming, and turned to the other table. It was between Donghyuck, Jungwoo and Sicheng now. He watched as both Sicheng and Jungwoo drew scissors, while Donghyuck picked paper. The members burst out laughing, surrounding Mark and Donghyuck as the two pretended to fake-cry. 

“Go and pay! We’ll head out and meet you in the car,” Johnny told them. “GUYS, LET’S GO!” he yelled. Mark winced and led Donghyuck out of their room and towards the counter. 

“Hey, didn’t you pay for a meal last time?” Donghyuck asked him as they walked through the restaurant to the desk. Mark shrugged.

“Probably. But I don’t mind. As long as you’re well fed, it doesn’t matter.”

“Let me pay, then.”

“Hyuck, it’s probably a lot…”

“Mark hyung.” Mark turned his head in surprise; Donghyuck rarely called him hyung. “Seriously, let me pay. I don’t mind.” Mark sighed. “Don’t sigh at me.”

“I’m not!”

They reached the counter together, bickering good-naturedly, and Donghyuck paid for the food. Mark winced at the bill, but Donghyuck just rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m not earning for nothing. Be happy you got free food.” Donghyuck grinned widely at him, and Mark smiled too, finally putting his own wallet away. Donghyuck slung his arm around Mark and the two began walking to the vans waiting for them outside. 

“Wait,” Mark stopped suddenly at the top of the stairs, patting his jeans pocket. “I think I left my phone inside.” 

“Want me to come with you?” Donghyuck asked, but Mark shook his head. 

“No, you go. Look, they’re waiting for you.” Sure enough, Jaehyun and Johnny were standing at the bottom of the stairs, talking quietly as they waited for the two of them. “Be careful, it’s concrete,” Mark warned. Donghyuck rolled his eyes as he carefully headed down the steps towards them. He spoke quietly to Johnny, who glanced up at Mark and nodded. “Hyungs, go! I’ll be down in a minute!”

The three of them left, and Mark hurried back inside. He edged past the waiters who were picking up the dishes, bowing in apology. He scanned both tables, but his phone wasn’t there. Ducking down, he finally fished it out from underneath Yuta’s chair, his mind wandering as he tried to remember how his phone ended up there. “Got it!”

He quickly hurried back through the restaurant, tugging his jacket on properly around him as he did. It was getting cold outside. He walked around the restaurant, standing to the side as two workers carried boxes up. They bowed in apology, and he waved it away, zipping up the jacket. He was just coming down the stairs when he heard a yell. “Kid! Watch out!”

“Huh?” Mark turned just in time to see something hurtling towards him. The object caught him squarely in the chest; his arms instinctively wrapped around it, and he lost his balance. With a yelp, he fell backwards, rolling hard down the concrete stairs. His head slammed into the ground with an audible crack, and the object in his arms skittered away, spraying its contents all over the floor; that was the last thing he remembered. 

**********

“How long does it take to find a phone?” Johnny asked, checking the time on his own. 

“It’s only been two minutes, hyung,” Sicheng frowned. “Wait a little bit, he should be coming.” Johnny sighed, flicking his phone screen on and off again. They waited another few minutes, but there was no sign of Mark. 

“You know what? I’m going to go find him.” Johnny didn’t wait for a response as he jumped out of the van. He went over to Jaehyun’s van and knocked on its door, telling them to go on ahead. He waited for them to leave anxiously before heading around the back of the restaurant to the steps. 

It was even darker now, and Johnny flicked on the torch on his phone as he walked. He could hear a commotion, and he frowned, speeding up a little. Two men were sitting on the ground, huddled over a third person and surrounded by what appeared to be sachets of sauce and packs of frozen vegetables; all Johnny could see of the third person were his legs. “Hello?” Johnny called, and both men turned immediately. The moment they moved, Johnny caught sight of the third person. He let out a shocked, choked noise and hurried forward. “Mark! Mark, wake up!” 

“Do you know this boy?” One of the men asked, but Johnny ignored him as he dropped to his knees next to Mark frantically.

“Mark! Come on, wake up!” He gently tapped the younger boy’s cheeks, but his eyes remained shut. “What happened?” he snapped at the two men. 

“We were carrying ingredients inside,” one of them explained nervously. “But I tripped up, and one of the boxes fell. I tried to warn your friend, but it was too late. He fell, and he hit his head on the floor...we came immediately.”

“Call an ambulance.” The man nodded immediately and turned away, while his friend stayed nearby. 

“I’m really sorry…”

“It was just an accident,” Johnny mumbled. “Just...it’s ok.” He looked down at Mark, stroking hair out of his face. “Mark…” Johnny stood up suddenly. “I’ll be right back.” The second man watched him go as Johnny ran back to the van.

“Hyung, what’s going on?” Donghyuck called. Johnny took a deep breath. 

“Mark fell down the stairs and hurt his head. He’s unconscious, he won’t wake up.”

“What?!” Their manager jumped out immediately, and the members followed suit. “Stay put! Johnny, you need to take them home.” 

Johnny held up shaking hands. “I...don’t think I can drive right now,” he mumbled. “There’s people with him, they’re calling an ambulance. I just...came to tell you.” The manager looked torn for a second. 

“Go with him. Text me when you get there, I’ll meet you there.” The manager patted Johnny on the shoulder before getting back into the van. Johnny rushed straight back to Mark’s side before the manager had even shut his door, anxiety gnawing at his chest.

“The ambulance is on its way,” the man told Johnny, and he nodded briefly in acknowledgement.

“Mark?” He tried again, gently tapping Mark’s face. Mark groaned, scrunching his eyes up. Johnny’s eyes widened. “Mark! It’s me, it’s Johnny. Come on, Mark, wake up for me?”

Slowly, Mark opened his eyes. His head felt like he’d been run over by a truck four times. He looked around, but everything was fuzzy. Why couldn’t he see? “Nng...” he mumbled intelligently. 

“Mark! It’s me, Johnny,” he heard someone say. Why was Johnny here? Mark tried to lift his head but it only made things worse. His vision blacked completely and he groaned again, pain shooting through his head. “Woah, take it easy, don’t try and get up,” Johnny was saying. 

“Hyung...” he mumbled. “What…”

“You fell down and hit your head. You can’t move.”

“It hurts...” he whispered. 

“I know it hurts, Mark.” Johnny swallowed down a lump in his throat. “But you have to keep still. Can you talk to me?”

“Where’re we?”

“Outside the restaurant.” 

“I...need…go…” Mark took a shallow breath and pushed himself up suddenly. He let out a scream as pain shot through his entire body. Strong arms wrapped around him, and he sagged briefly into Johnny’s hold. 

“Mark! Idiot, I told you to stay put!” Johnny exclaimed, holding Mark tightly. “You have a head injury, and who knows what else? You need to stay still.”

“But...wanna go home.”

“You can’t go home.”

“Please,” Mark begged, and the pain increased again. He bit his lip, but a groan escaped anyway. The blurry images in front of him started to fade and he felt darkness wash over him again. 

“Mark! Mark, stay with me,” Johnny patted his cheeks frantically as he watched Mark’s eyes roll to the back of his head. “Come on! Mark!”

“Hyung…” Mark mumbled, and as Johnny watched, a tear escaped from one of his half-closed eyes. “Please...stop…hurts…” Mark was rambling now, half in English, half Korean, and Johnny was getting more worried.

“Where the heck is this ambulance?!” He exclaimed, cradling Mark even closer, as if he was a child. 

“I’ll go and check,” one of the men offered, and Johnny turned his attention back to Mark. 

“Mark, you’ll be ok,” Johnny tried. “Try and be strong...for me, for us, please?”

“Trying…”

Hurried footsteps came towards them, and Johnny sighed in relief. “The ambulance is here.”

“Don’t leave me, hyung,” Mark’s eyes opened again suddenly, trying to focus on Johnny. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m right here, don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere, Mark.” Even as the paramedics slowly took Mark out of Johnny’s arms and onto a stretcher, Mark did not let go of Johnny, and Johnny did not let go of Mark. Mark drifted back into unconsciousness as they injected him with something Johnny didn’t bother asking the name of, and finally Mark’s fingers went slack against his hand. Johnny clambered into the back of the ambulance and clipped his seatbelt into place. It was then he noticed that his sleeve was drenched in blood.

**********

When Mark finally came back into consciousness, it was because he could hear crying. Someone nearby was crying, and he wanted to know who it was. He forced his eyes open, but he couldn’t see anything; it was dark. “Hyung?” he tried, but his mouth was dry, and he ended up coughing. He groaned as pain shot through his head again. “Hyung?” he asked again. The crying stopped immediately, the sound more muffled than it had been before.

“Mark! How are you feeling?” He heard Johnny’s voice. There was a rustle, and then the bed dipped a little. 

“Like an elephant stood on my head.” Laughter rippled throughout the room. “And my ribs hurt. Where am I?”

“Hospital.” This was Taeil. “You uh...fell.”

“Where?”

“Outside the restaurant,” Johnny told him. “You got hit by a box of ingredients or something.”

“Could someone turn on the lights or something?” Mark mumbled. 

“Mark...the lights are on?” Taeyong sounded confused. 

“What? Stop messing around and turn them on.”

“Hyung, no one’s messing around.” Mark turned towards the familiar voice; this was Donghyuck. “The lights are on.” Donghyuck sniffled, and Mark realised it was him that had been crying.

“But...I can’t see?” Mark sounded scared and confused. There was silence in the room. Mark squinted slightly, turning his head, and a vague shape materialised in front of his face. From the way he was sitting, Mark knew it was Donghyuck. Donghyuck was sitting in the chair next to his bed, his knees up and his chin resting on them. He slowly turned his head around the room, and he caught sight of a tall figure and a smaller figure. The taller one had to be Johnny, which meant the shorter one was Taeil hyung. 

“Mark?”

“I can see you,” Mark squinted harder, confused. 

“You just said you couldn’t.”

“I…” Mark hesitated. “I can see a little...vague shapes. Can someone help me sit up?” He heard the whirring of his hospital bed as someone pressed a button, and he slowly moved up. He cleared his throat. “Look. Donghyuck. Taeil hyung. Johnny hyung.” He turned his head further around the room. “Renjun?”

“Mark...Ten hyung is standing nexting to Johnny hyung, and Taeil hyung is sitting over there. Renjun isn’t here.” Mark’s expression fell. 

“I know we’re both short,” Ten teased him gently. “But I’m way better looking than Taeil hyung. Also, surprise! I’m back,” Ten added weakly. Mark smiled a little, but it wasn’t enough to distract him from the fact that he couldn’t really see. He was blind. The door opened again, and all heads turned in that direction. Mark could see the outline of the doctor, and behind him, the skinny figure of Taeyong hyung. Frustrated, he reached up to rub at his eyes, but two cold hands closed around his wrists.

“Minhyung-ssi, don’t touch your face, please.” The doctor gently released his hands, and Mark sighed, dropping his hands to his side. “I was afraid this would happen.”

“So you knew?” Johnny asked. The doctor’s figure blurred for a second as she shook her head. 

“No,” she explained. “But, due to the nature of the head injury, it was always a possibility that he would lose part of his vision. The scans showed some damage to the occipital lobe, but it’s difficult to determine the impact until the patient is conscious.”

“How…” Mark swallowed hard. “How bad is it?”

The doctor leaned closer to Mark, holding up a flashlight. “I’m going to shine some light into your eyes to check.” Mark held still. He waited for the flash of light, and as soon as it came he screwed up his eyes. 

Doctor Park stood back, frowning. While Mark could detect light coming in and out, his eyes were mostly unfocused, and it was clear that he couldn’t really see properly. “Well?” Mark asked shakily. 

“From the scan, we could detect bruising on the brain,” she hedged. “And it seems that your vision is poor as of this moment. It’s bad, but it will heal in time,” she finally admitted. 

“How much time?” Taeyong asked in concern. 

“I can’t give you a time frame. I’m really sorry. Everyone heals differently, sir, and...it’s not realistic of me to give you a certain time.”

“Get out,” Mark hissed, and everyone turned to him, shocked. “ALL OF YOU, GET OUT!” he roared. The doctor bowed. 

“I’m sorry.” She left, shutting the door. 

“What are the rest of you waiting for?!” Mark snapped. “Leave!”

“Mark…”

“Not now.” Mark turned over, ignoring the pain in his body, putting his back to all of the members. He waited for the telltale sounds of the five of them leaving. And only then did he let himself cry. Large sobs wracked his tiny frame. He was blind, for who knew how long. He couldn’t perform. He couldn’t do what he loved anymore. He was a failure.

*********

As soon as they got outside, Donghyuck started to cry again. He wasn’t much of a crier, he hated emotions, really. But since last night, all he’d been doing was crying. He was worried sick about Mark. He blamed himself; if only he’d have gone with him to go back and grab his phone. Then maybe he could have saved Mark. He could’ve taken the impact in Mark’s place. Or better still, they could’ve gotten back before those stupid restaurant staff had tried to carry their stupid boxes up in the dark, and no one would have gotten hurt. 

“Hyuckie.” Ten wrapped an arm around him. “Come on, baby. Don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry,” he sniffled, wiping his tears away. “I’m sorry.”

“He’ll be ok, Hyuck,” Taeyong patted his shoulder, looking even more exhausted than Donghyuck felt. “He just needs some time.”

“What if...what if he never gets better?” Donghyuck whispered. “Then what happens? Will they…” He didn’t want to finish his sentence. 

“No,” Johnny told him vehemently, surprising even himself at the force of his words. “Minhyung is not going anywhere. I promise you that. We will fight anyone who even attempts to take him away from us, do you understand?” Johnny asked, looking around at the small group. Everyone nodded immediately. “Give him some time. He just needs to process this. It’s a big thing for him. But what we are not going to do is let him play the blame game. You saw what happened to me, it didn’t work out well, did it?” Donghyuck nodded, his mind wandering back to when Johnny was injured last year. “Come on. Let’s go and get some rest. None of us have slept properly. And Hyuck, don’t you have practice?”

“I texted the group chat and told them to cancel it,” Donghyuck told Johnny carefully. “They don’t know about Mark yet. I thought...I’d go and let them know.”

“Do you want one of us to come with you?” Taeil offered, but Donghyuck shook his head. 

“I’ll go, it’s ok. I need some rest. I’ll talk to them.”

“And Kun and I will be there too,” Ten added. 

“You guys should come and stay in our dorm for a few days,” Johnny told Ten as an afterthought. “I think it would be better, once Mark gets home, for everyone to be together for a while. It’s easier.”

“Yeah.” Ten nodded, glancing at Donghyuck in concern. “We’ll tell them.”

**********

“Where have you been? Why’d you cancel practice?” Jaemin lunged at Donghyuck as soon as he entered the dorm. It turned into shock as he spotted Ten behind Donghyuck and he launched himself excitedly at the man. “Hyung! When did you get back? I’ve missed you!” Ten patted Jaemin happily on the back before he pulled away. Jaemin’s excitement faded into a frown as he spotted Donghyuck’s swollen eyes and Ten’s tired face.

Donghyuck took a deep breath. “Where’s the others?”

“They went back to bed, why? What’s going on, Hyuck?”

“Wake everyone up and get them to pack a back.” Donghyuck pushed past Jaemin and entered the kitchen. From where they were standing, Ten and Jaemin could hear cupboard doors being opened and then slammed shut. Jaemin jumped, glancing over his shoulder worriedly, and Ten rubbed a hand over his face, sighing.

“Hyung?”

“Mark had an accident last night.” Jaemin’s mouth dropped open, but nothing came out. “He’s blind right now. He had a pretty bad head injury, there was a lot of bruising on his brain, and he bled out quite a bit. They patched him up,” Ten added hastily at the alarm on Jaemin’s face. “He’s stable now, don’t worry. I think one of his ribs cracked too.” Jaemin sat down heavily, and Ten took a seat next to him.

“Why didn’t anyone say so? Hyuck didn’t even reply to my messages.” Jaemin was at a loss for words.

“I found out because Sicheng called me the moment I landed. He was worried, and he thought Mark might want me there to see him. I haven’t even been home yet, I went from the airport straight to the hospital,” Ten said, shaking his head. “But we didn’t want to worry you, either, not when we didn’t know what was happening.” Ten took in a shaky breath, leaning on Jaemin’s shoulder from exhaustion. “But he’s ok. He’ll be fine. He just...he needs to rest.”

“How did that even happen?” Jaemin asked in wonder. 

“Let’s wait for the others to wake up, then I’ll tell you.” Ten yawned widely, shutting his eyes. “Can you call Kun hyung or Yuta hyung or someone?”

“Yeah, I’ll grab someone now.” Jaemin gently pulled out his phone to dial Yuta’s number, careful not to jostle Ten who was already starting to fall asleep on his shoulder. Donghyuck reentered the room, a confused Chenle and Jeno behind him, and he sat down with a sigh next to Ten, burying his head in his hands.

Within ten minutes, Kun was sitting in the living room, surrounded by the children. Donghyuck and Ten were asleep in Donghyuck’s room, the latter having been carried there by Jaemin and Jeno. Kun frowned as he mulled over what little information he’d been given by Sicheng and Ten. “Hyung, Donghyuck told us to pack our stuff,” Jaemin said to Kun once they’d explained what had happened to Mark. “Where are we going?”

“You’re gonna come and stay in our building,” Kun explained. “Taeyong hyung agreed, he said that it’s easier for you guys to come there so Mark can navigate one area. Plus, the more people there to keep an eye on him, the better.”

“How long will it take him to recover?” Jisung asked, his eyes wide.

“They don’t know.” Kun swallowed hard. “In the meantime, we need to band together and help him.”

“Hey, since we’re all going to be there, does that mean we can finally officially meet Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang geges?” Chenle asked eagerly, and Jaemin smacked him on the knee. 

“Come on, Chenle, Mark’s injured right now!” 

The others laughed, albeit weakly, and Kun shook his head, half-worried and half-amused. “Yes, you can finally meet those troublemakers,” he said good-naturedly. “But I’m warning you all now, the last thing Mark needs is more confusion and noise. I don’t mind you all getting together and going between my dorm and the hyungs’ dorm, of course not, but if it’s at the expense of Mark’s health, then Johnny hyung and I will move you back here.”

“We’ll be good, I promise, hyung,” Renjun said hastily, glancing at the others pointedly, knowing Kun’s threat was definitely not empty. “We can’t live without Mark hyung.”

“And he can’t live without us, either.” Kun snorted, pushing on Chenle’s shoulder. 

“Right. Go ahead and get a bag ready, and go quietly. Ten and Donghyuck haven’t slept all night.”

As soon as they’d dispersed, Kun sighed, lying back on the couch. His role in all this was small, but it still nagged at him. It was strangely quiet too, a lot more quiet than the dorm had been in the past, and it added to the stress he was feeling of the situation. He’d barely been back in Korea for a day, Ten not even twelve hours yet, and they’d already received the news that Mark was injured. It wasn’t exactly the welcome home he’d been expecting, particularly as this pushed their schedules back significantly. 

“Idiot,” Kun muttered to himself, chastising himself for thinking of schedules at this moment. Whatever, he decided. There’d be more time to think on all of that later. For now, he had a job to do.

**********

It took Mark a while to calm down. He hadn’t cried like this in a long time, and all his frustrations had built up. The injury was just the icing on the cake, causing him to lash out at the members. Once he had stopped crying so much, his mind cleared up, and he began to think, walking himself through his options. It was clear that he couldn’t perform. So if he couldn’t perform, what could he do?

A knock on the door jolted him out of his thoughts. “Mark?” someone called softly. Mark cleared his throat and sat up, resisting the urge to rub at his sore eyes as he remembered the doctor’s instructions. 

“Yes?”

“It’s Johnny. Uh...are you ok?” Johnny sounded a little nervous, and Mark flushed with embarrassment and guilt, knowing he was the reason for Johnny’s apprehension.

“I’m good. Uh...I’m sorry, hyung,” Mark said guiltily. “I didn’t mean to lash out at everyone like that.” Johnny came and sat closer to Mark, on the edge of his bed. “It isn’t fair of me to act like that.”

“It isn’t a problem,” Johnny said, patting Mark’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We just want to make sure that you’re ok.”

“No, but…” Mark laughed a little. “I don’t know, hyung. I feel a bit helpless. What am I supposed to do? The one thing that I want to do the most, I can’t do anymore. What if I never get better?”

“Don’t say that,” Johnny replied with more force than he intended to. Then he sighed. “Look, you remember how helpless I was when I got injured?” he asked, and Mark nodded, wincing a little. “I thought that I’d never recover. Yeah, it was slightly different to yours, I’ll admit it, but...I guess we tend to see the worst in situations like this,” he said gently. “You’ll make it, Mark. You’re one of the most hardworking and strongest people I know. Trust me.” 

Mark wanted to believe Johnny, he really did. But something in the back of his mind was telling him that Johnny was wrong, that he wouldn’t ever recover, and that he would never be able to perform again. He pushed down the doubts and attempted to smile in the vague direction of Johnny. Johnny cleared his throat. “Uh, the doctor said that you can leave when you’re ready,” he told Mark. “Taeil hyung’s filling in the paperwork for us, and Taeyong’s gone to get the manager. I came to help you get ready, if...if you’re ready to.”

“Where’s Hyuck and Ten hyung?” Mark frowned. “By the way, when did Ten get back?”

“They went home an hour ago,” Johnny told him. “Ten literally came back last night, he came straight here. I thought he’d want to be here for you.” Mark swung his legs out of the bed, wincing, and Johnny put an arm around his waist, supporting him as he stood up.

“Damn, did I cry for a whole hour?” Mark blurted out as they shuffled towards the bathroom, then clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Mark…” Johnny squeezed Mark’s arm gently. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah…” Mark swallowed, turning away from Johnny to look straight ahead. The door was blurry, and even as they got close, Mark couldn’t see it. “Hyung, I kind of, uh, need your help,” Mark muttered, feeling his face go flaming red in shame, though he was grateful for the change in subject.

“That’s what I’m here for, bro.” Mark would always remember that Johnny did not laugh at him at that moment. 

It took them a couple of minutes longer than normal, but Mark was washed and dressed. “Y’know, that was quicker than I thought,” Mark remarked as they left the room, leaning heavily on Johnny. Johnny had helped him change the bandages around his head and checked the bruising on his ribs, making sure he was ok.

“Super Johnny hyung to the rescue,” Johnny joked, doing a little wiggle.

“Hey! It hurts!”

“Sure it does,” Johnny grinned, but he stopped dancing around. 

“Where are we going?” Mark asked, pausing to catch his breath, wincing at the stabbing pain in his ribs. 

“Manager hyung already arrived, so everyone’s waiting in the van downstairs.” 

“I’m sorry for being slow.” Mark could almost feel Johnny roll his eyes. 

“You’re such an idiot, Mark Lee.” In one swift motion, Johnny had lifted Mark into his arms and was carrying him through the hospital.

“Hyung! Put me down, I'm not a baby!”

“Stop struggling, you’ll hurt yourself,” Johnny laughed at him, and Mark sighed, letting Johnny do what he needed to do. He wrapped his arms around Johnny like a monkey, getting comfortable, and allowed the older boy to carry him all the way to the van. Mark managed to buckle himself in, relying on his muscle memory, and soon they were off back to the dorm. 

“SURPRISE!”

Mark almost fell over from the force of the noise, being steadied by a suddenly-panicked Taeil and Taeyong. “W-what’s going on?” he asked, squinting vaguely in the direction of the shadows he could see. 

“We’ve come to stay!” he heard Jeno call. “We want to be with you, hyung.”

Mark felt the emotion rising up in him, but he pushed it down in favour of humour. “Oh no! Do I still have to deal with you lot?”

“I would hit you for that one, hyung…” he heard Renjun say, and turning in the direction of Renjun’s voice, he could vaguely figure out that Renjun was holding up a fist. Mark let out a laugh at that as Jungwoo scolded Renjun for threatening Mark. 

“I’m just joking, Junnie, I love you really.”

“Mark Lee, you admit you love us?!” Jaemin exclaimed, and in the next second, Mark felt hands pulling him into a group hug. He winced in pain at the pressure, which immediately eased up with a mumbled apology in his ear. He hugged them all back tightly as far as he could reach before releasing them. 

Taeil helped him to the couch and he sat down, adjusting for his ribs and back, which still hurt from the fall. He closed his eyes - what was the point of keeping them open if he couldn’t see anything in the first place? - and leaned his head back. “Is everything ok, Mark?” Taeil asked him lowly.

“Yeah. Just a headache.” Mark didn’t know how to voice what he was thinking. 

“If you want to go to your room, just say.”

“I will. Thanks, hyung.” Taeil moved away with a squeeze to his shoulder, but he was replaced by two warm bodies next to him. “Who’s this?”

“Wah, Mark Lee, you can’t recognise your favourite hyung?” It was Yuta, flinging an arm around his shoulders. Mark sighed, but he didn’t get a chance to reply. 

“I’m Mark’s favourite hyung!” That was Yukhei. 

“I’ve literally never called you hyung, Lucas,” Mark replied. “Welcome back, by the way, I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah but I’m still your favourite.” Yukhei squeezed his shoulder with an overly-large hand. “I’ve missed you too.”

“No, I’m the favourite hyung!” Yuta responded, cutting into their conversation

“No, me!”

“I am!”

“Guys!” Mark burst out, and the room fell silent. “Stop. I just...I want to go to my room.” He pushed himself off the couch, and immediately someone headed to his side. He wanted to scream, to say that he wasn’t an invalid, but he didn’t trust himself to open his mouth without crying. His eyes pricked with more tears, and he shut them, frustrated and annoyed at himself. Instead, he allowed himself to be led from the living room and into his bedroom, where someone had already fluffed up his pillows and duvet just the way he liked them. 

“Goodnight, hyung.”

Mark waited until the door shut behind Jaemin before he started crying again.

**********

“You can’t go!”

“You can’t stop me from going!”

“You are sick and injured and going there will do absolutely nothing for you!”

“If you leave me stuck in here by myself I’m going to go crazy!”

“What’s going on?!” Johnny stumbled into the living room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, to see Mark sitting on the couch and Taeyong standing over him, the two of them red in the face. 

Kun stumbled in behind him, groaning. “Guys, it’s five in the morning. The kids are still sleeping, you’re going to wake them up. What’s the matter? Why are you shouting?”

“Taeyong hyung thinks he’s my father,” Mark said petulantly, crossing his arms across his chest. “I want to come to practice with you guys.”

“You still have a slight fever, you can’t walk three steps without being in an incredible amount of pain, and forgive me for pointing this out, but you still can’t see,” Taeyong told him matter-of-factly, and Mark jolted a little, knowing Taeyong was right, though that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Johnny opened his mouth, but Taeyong glared at him pointedly, shaking his head. “Why don’t you want to stay home?” Kun asked, frowning at them.

“Because I don’t want to miss out.” Mark sighed. “I know what you’re thinking, hyung, but look, I’ve been home for a week already with you guys, and it’ll be lonely when you’re all gone, and I’m not there. I know that I can’t see, but at least I’ll be there at all, it’s better than nothing.”

Johnny exchanged a glance with Taeyong and Kun. “It’s your call,” he said to Taeyong after a moment. Mark glared in Johnny’s general direction.

“Fine,” Taeyong sighed, shaking his head. “But the second you show a sign of discomfort or pain, you’re coming straight back here, do you hear me?”

“Yes! Thank you, hyung!” Mark leaned forward and hugged Taeyong round the midsection as much as he could without wincing. “Thanks, Johnny hyung, thanks Kun hyung!”

“No worries.” Johnny sighed. “I suppose there’s no chance of me getting anymore sleep?”

“Nope,” Taeyong shook his head, smiling as he rolled up his sleeves. “Go get ready, take Mark with you, and wake the others up if they’re not up already. I’ll make us all breakfast.”

Three hours later, Mark had to suppress a laugh as he heard Taeyong get told off by their choreographers for the sixth time, right after Jungwoo and Yuta had just been yelled at. He had to admit, it was funny to hear Taeyong getting so flustered during practice. Normally, he wouldn't be laughing, but Taeyong didn’t usually mess up so much, and to be honest, it was quite refreshing for him to hear Taeyong’s name being called out much more, as well as the other members.

“Taeyong! Pay attention!” 

“I’m sorry,” Taeyong quickly bowed. “Can we have a five minute break, please?” he added, quieter, and Mark could hear the frustrated sigh of the choreographer. 

“Five minutes  _ only _ . And you’d all better step up your game when I get back.” The choreographer left the room, and Mark started laughing. 

“What’s so funny?” Taeyong sounded annoyed. 

“You need to stop staring at me, guys,” Mark laughed at him, shaking his head. “I can feel your eyes on me. I’m fine, honestly.”

“You think us getting told off is funny?”

“It is,” Donghyuck grinned, and Mark heard a yelp, followed by laughter from the others. 

“Taeyong hyung tried to hit me!” Donghyuck wailed.

“You deserve it!”

“Leave Donghyuck alone!” Mark called, though it wasn’t as happy as before. He was still frustrated all over again at not being able to see. He knew that Donghyuck had only yelled out about Taeyong’s actions for his benefit, and it didn’t sit right with him. He wasn’t an invalid. 

He shook his head suddenly, trying to clear out the negative thoughts. He’d had enough of that during the week, he’d had enough of feeling sorry for himself. He’d been replaying the incident in his head over and over again, to the point where he couldn’t sleep at night because of it. The members had been taking turns to talk with him throughout the night just to distract him from his own head, which was partly why he wanted to get out of the dorm today. He felt bad because he’d been depriving them of much-needed sleep, but he could hear how hard they still managed to work, and it motivated him to motivate them even more.

“Are you alright?” Mark jumped as Chenle whispered in his ear, squeezing his shoulder. He hadn’t even heard the younger boy come towards him. “The hyungs are worried.”

“I’m good. Tell Taeyong hyung to pay attention, I’m good. And you guys are doing well, by the way. You haven’t been told off single time, I’m proud of you.” Mark felt for Chenle’s hand and squeezed back just as hard. 

The next day, after hearing how the members had gotten into trouble multiple times even after Mark had relayed his message to them via Chenle, Mark decided to stay at home. This time, the managers had gotten involved and protested, but Mark refused to budge, even going so far as to lock him and Taeil into his bedroom and refusing to let Taeil out until the managers agreed to let him stay.

“Fine, but we’re coming back at lunchtime to make sure you’re ok,” Johnny told him after they’d rescued Taeil from the hostage situation. Mark smiled at him, knowing how annoyed he was with him. “And you’d better check your phone, ok? We'll be calling every hour, make sure it's on you at all times.”

“I know this place like the back of my hand, ok?” Mark reassured him. “Don’t worry.” He smiled in Johnny’s direction, and the elder was suddenly glad that Mark couldn’t see him. He hated seeing how unfocused his younger brother’s eyes were all of the time, and he hated seeing how injured he still was. “Go on, I’ll be fine!” he urged when, a moment later, Johnny still stood there.

“Bye, Mark.”

“Bye!” Mark tried to sound cheerful as he felt Johnny’s shadow disappear from the doorway. He could feel the change in the atmosphere just before Johnny left, and he sighed. He knew how worried they were, but he didn’t want them to focus on him and neglect their practice. Taeyong and Johnny were suffering the most because of him, and he decided he no longer needed to depend on them; just because he was blind for the moment, it didn’t mean he was disabled. Besides, like he’d told Johnny and Taeil, he knew this place like the back of his hand...right?

If he managed to get downstairs in one piece before they came back, then they wouldn't worry so much about him. Carefully, making sure his phone was in his pocket, Mark picked his way downstairs, putting one foot in front of the other as slow as he could, keeping a hand on the wall for support. It took him so much longer than he’d thought, but between the pain still in his ribs and back, combined with his lack of vision, Mark was proud of himself. “Woo!” he whooped as he reached the bottom, grinning. 

He rounded the corner, keeping one hand on the wall as he went, and slowly made a beeline for the couch. He’d almost reached it when his shins smacked into something and he fell forward, yelping as he tried to get his balance. He landed with his front on the table, his hand touching the couch, and he groaned as pain shot through his ribs and legs. “What the fuck?” he muttered, slowly pushing himself up. “Stupid table.” He felt along the edge of the table to stop himself from walking into it again and then lowered himself onto the couch, immensely glad that nobody was there to witness him hurt himself again.

As if on cue, Mark’s phone buzzed, and he clicked the button on the side of his phone to pick up the call. “Hey.”

“You alright, Mark? You sound out of breath.”

“You haven’t even started practice yet, have you?” he accused, and he could hear Doyoung hesitate before responding.

“We have, but we’re worried about you, too.”

“Come on, you only left like ten minutes ago, hyung, don’t lie.” Mark shook his head, a little amused. “I’m fine, hyung, I promise. I just came downstairs, I’m going to put on a movie or something.”

“How will you watch it?” Doyoung blurted out, then instantly regretted it. Mark swallowed.

“Uh...I’ll put Shrek on, then. I’ve seen it already, and besides, it’s funny,” he tried to brush off Doyoung's comment, sensing that his hyung was probably cursing at himself for his accidental insensitivity.

“Did someone say Shrek?!” he heard Ten shriek in the background, and he smiled a little. 

“I’m going to go now, Mark, take care, ok?” Doyoung told him quickly. “Yuta hyung might call in a bit.” 

“Thanks, hyung. Bye.” Doyoung hung up, and Mark sighed, rubbing his eyes despite the doctor’s instructions to leave them alone. He wasn’t planning on watching a movie, but now that he’d told Doyoung, he might as well put something on. He stood up again, slowly making his way to the TV, and crouched down, feeling the movie cases on the shelf. He picked one at random and clumsily inserted it into the DVD player. 

It wasn’t Shrek, but Mark was just as happy with Toy Story 2. Sitting so his back was leaning against the table on the floor, Mark stared at the screen, watching the colours flash on the screen. He could just about make out the shapes of Woody, Jessie and Buzz, and it was enough for him to enjoy the movie. Yuta called halfway through, as Doyoung had promised, but seeing how happy Mark sounded, their conversation didn’t last too long. 

When the movie ended, Mark realised he was hungry. He pulled up the S Voice function on his phone, holding the screen so close to his face to try and see what he was doing that Taeyong probably would have yelled at him had he seen. “What time is it?”

“The time is eleven forty-seven.” Mark stood up, pocketing his phone again. The hyungs would be back at one o’clock for lunch, and until then, he decided he would make himself a cup of coffee. It would be enough to tide him over until they could feed him properly, he thought.

He was feeling a little bit stiff, and his shin hurt as he put weight on it from his earlier collision with the table. “A hot water bottle might help, too,” he muttered as he made his way into the kitchen. He managed to fill the kettle up and start it up easily, as well as pour a sachet of coffee powder into one of the mugs. He was feeling proud of himself, but now he had to pour the water into the mug. 

He hesitantly picked up the kettle and started to pour the water into the mug, but he didn’t realise the mug was on the edge of the counter. It shifted as the water entered and tipped over, shattering as it hit the floor. Mark jumped at the sound, and the kettle jerked in his hand, spilling hot water onto his arm and wrist. He dropped the kettle, stepping backwards as he felt it roll across the counter, boiling water spilling everywhere, but that was nothing compared to the stabbing pain in his arm from the burn and his foot as shards of ceramic pierced at the soft skin. 

“Ouch!” Mark dropped to the floor, cowering against the cupboards, shaking from pain as his ribs protested against the sudden movement, adding to his injuries. He didn’t know what to do. He felt for his phone, but it wasn’t in his pocket. Panic rising in his throat, he leaned forward, feeling around for it on the floor, but all he managed to do was cut his fingers on the wet and slippery glass. Tears of frustration pricked at his eyes as he realised just how immobile and useless he was without his sight. He’d never understood how much he’d taken it for granted until now, and it only served to hurt him more. “I’m so useless,” he whispered, huddling back against the cupboards and dragging his knees towards him, curling into a ball. He was too scared to move, to breathe, to do anything. All he could do was cry in the corner.

**********

“Mark hyung isn’t picking up,” Jeno reported as he stuck his head in through the door. Jaehyun instantly stopped the music as everyone turned to face him, gesturing him to come inside. It was his turn to check on Mark, and just his luck, it had to be the only time Mark didn’t answer.

“Maybe he’s asleep?” Sicheng suggested. “Or maybe he’s annoyed because we keep calling.”

“You can’t blame us for checking on him, he’s injured,” Doyoung pointed out, though he, too, looked worried at hearing that. “Try again, Jeno.”

Jeno dialled Mark's number again, but this time, when it went straight to voicemail, Jeno shook his head. "It's switched off now." 

Johnny strode across the room and tried the number, with the same results. "Something's wrong."

"You can't just assume that," Yuta interjected, though privately he agreed with Johnny.

"Mark wouldn't turn off the phone or ignore our calls, no matter how irritated he is at us," Taeil joined their little group. "Johnny made him promise to keep his phone on him at all times, and-"

"Mark Lee never breaks a promise," they all chorused together.

"Then let's go home, I don't know what we're still doing here," Taeyong finally managed to speak, his mind racing a million miles an hour with all the possibilities.

"We can't all go. Four of us only, or the managers will flip," Kun put out his arm to stop Taeyong from storming out of the room immediately. 

"Fine but I'm going," Taeyong shot back. "I need Johnny too."

"I wanna come too," Jeno piped up, holding up his phone. Taeyong made to protest, but remembering what had happened when Johnny was injured, how the kids had reacted when they'd tried to exclude them from what was happening, he reluctantly nodded.

"Ten, you come along too." Ten nodded, moving away from his place between Hendery and Yuta and joining the four of them near the door. "Kun and Taeil hyung are in charge, do you guys understand?" Taeyong warned the room.

"We've got this, stop wasting time here and go see if Mark's OK," Jaehyun gently pushed them toward the door. Taeyong didn't need telling twice; he practically ran out of the room, the others at his heels, the tension palpable.

Taeyong had never felt so tense in his life. He hadn't been sure about leaving Mark completely alone in the dorm in the first place, and he couldn't believe that one of the managers at least hadn't stayed behind after they'd refused to give any of them time off from practice to look after Mark. It was completely irresponsible, even if it turned out that nothing was wrong, and Taeyong decided that when they got back, they'd bring Mark with them to practice for the rest of the afternoon.

Unfortunately for Taeyong, his worst fears were recognised. "Mark, we're home!" Ten was the first one through the door, but the silence that greeted them in return was worrying. Taeyong took the stairs three at a time but found every room empty. Ten checked in the bathroom while Jeno headed out into the garden just in case Mark happened to be there by some miracle.

It was Johnny that found Mark in the throes of panic in the kitchen. "Mark! Shit, Mark, it's OK!" Johnny stepped closer to him, wincing as glass crunched under the shoes he'd forgotten to remove. Taeyong would kill him for that, he thought vaguely, but most of his attention was on his younger brother, whose arms were curled protectively around himself as he tried to breathe. "Mark?" Johnny tried gently, touching his elbow, and Mark whimpered, looking up with the blank eyes that they were all beginning to get accustomed to seeing. His cheeks were wet with tears, and Johnny cursed inwardly as he realised just how much of a mistake they'd made by leaving him alone.

"Hyung?" Mark stuttered out, not comprehending what was happening as his chest heaved with another sob. 

"It's me, I'm here, just hang on a second-" Johnny stood up and turned to the doorway. "GUYS, IN THE KITCHEN!" He didn't wait for a response before turning back to the injured boy. "Mark, I'm gonna pick you up and get you off the floor, is that OK?"

Mark nodded jerkily once, and Johnny scooped him up, noting the dampness of his shirt and jeans. He deposited the boy at the kitchen table just as the others entered. "Oh shit, what the hell happened here?" Ten blurted out, his eyes taking in the kettle on its side, the still-dripping countertop and the shards of the mug all over the floor. 

“Hyung, he’s bleeding!” Jeno tapped Johnny’s arm, pointing to Mark’s fingers. Johnny turned to see Taeyong had already run for supplies and was on his way back from the bathroom with bandages and a tube of antiseptic cream.

"I'll clean up in here, do you want to take him inside?" Ten told Johnny, taking control of the situation as he could see the pure panic in Taeyong and Jeno. "Jeno, help me in here. Taeyong, go with Johnny." 

Johnny held Mark as gently as he could and carried him into the living room, setting him down once again on the sofa. Taeyong followed, kneeling down next to Mark, who was starting to breathe a little bit more evenly as he comprehended who was with him now. "Mark, can you tell us what happened?" Taeyong asked gently as Johnny opened the tube of cream and took Mark's hand in his own. Johnny winced as he caught sight of the burn on Mark's arm and Taeyong frowned. 

"I just wanted to be useful," Mark whispered, his eyes brimming with tears. "I was hungry, and - ouch!" 

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Johnny said hastily. "You've got quite a nasty burn there, I'm just putting some cream on it while you tell Taeyong hyung what you were doing." 

“You were hungry, and then what?” Taeyong prompted, taking back Mark’s hand so he could wrap it in the bandages while Johnny tended to the cuts around his fingers. “I-I thought I could make myself a cup of coffee,” Mark’s breath hitched with the pain and emotion he was feeling, “But I couldn’t! And then the cup fell and it broke and I got scared and then I dropped the kettle and then I burned myself and my head hurt and I stood on the cup and I fell down and my leg hurt and my chest hurt too and I really, really wanted you, hyung, but I couldn’t find my phone no matter how hard I looked, and I-I-” Taeyong stroked Mark’s hair gently as the younger boy cried helplessly in his arms, blinking back his own tears as he murmured soothing words to his younger brother. 

At Mark’s words, Johnny leaned down to inspect the soles of his feet, frowning at the damage he’d somehow managed to miss seeing the first time around. Exchanging a worried glance with Taeyong, he set about cleaning and dressing the wounds.

By the time Ten and Jeno had finished dealing with the mess in the kitchen, Taeyong and Johnny had managed to patch Mark up as best as they could. His fingers and feet were bandaged up and sterilised, and he was slumped against Taeyong, exhausted from his panic and helplessness. 

“Mark, do you want something to eat?” Ten asked gently. “I can make you something if you want.

“No. Not hungry anymore.” He was too tired to speak. “Wanna sleep.”

“We’re bringing you with us to practice,” Taeyong told him firmly. “And no arguments this time. You can sleep in the recording studio, it’s nice and warm in there and nobody’s using it today, I checked with Chanyeol hyung..” Mark didn’t even protest, allowing Taeyong to pick him up as if he weighed nothing and carry him outside into the van.

“Jeno, stay with Mark, we’re just going inside to grab some stuff for lunch,” Ten ordered Jeno, and he clambered inside after his hyung, buckling up his belt. Mark was leaning forwards, his head in his bandaged hands. 

“Hyung, what’s your favourite song?” Jeno gently nudged Mark, trying to distract him from his obvious internal struggle. 

“What?” Mark was thrown off by the question, causing him to look up quickly. A sudden pain shot through his head. “Ouch!”

“Hyung?”

“Jeno, it hurts,” Mark whispered, screwing up his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to stop it. His heart started to beat faster again, the fear from this sudden sharp pain in his head overwhelming him. “Ah!” Mark slumped against the seat, and Jeno quickly unbuckled his belt, catching Mark before he slid down. “Please make it stop,” he whispered, a tear leaking out of the corner of his eye.

“Hyung, what hurts?” Jeno was panicking now, clutching at Mark’s shoulders. Something was seriously wrong; this wasn’t just the concussion, it couldn’t be, not after how sudden the pain was. He jolted when Mark yelled out, a pained scream ripping through him, and he thrashed in Jeno’s grip, grabbing at his hair desperately. Jeno cursed and let go of Mark with one arm to throw open the door to the van. “TAEYONG HYUNG! HELP!” Jeno yelled, turning around to adjust his hyung in his arms. 

Mark was groaning, hands on his head, and Jeno patted his face, frowning at the heat radiating off his skin. “Hyung, come on,” he said loudly. “You’re ok, it’s ok, I’m here,” he tried to soothe. 

“It hurts so much,” Mark groaned. It felt like his head was going to rip in two. He could hear his heartbeat inside his head, and it felt like his eyes were bleeding. He could barely hear what was happening, and it felt like his head was going to explode. He could dimly hear Jeno talking, and Taeyong was panicking above him, and then hands were moving over him, and he screamed out in pain once more as he was shifted into someone’s lap. 

“Please, stop,” he begged, sobbing, not quite processing what was happening, and then he could feel the van starting up and moving, going at speeds so fast he felt like he was going to pass out. 

“Hyung, talk to me,” Jeno was talking again, a slightly desperate quality to his tone, and somewhere in his head, Mark registered he was still in Jeno’s hold. “Tell us about the time you and Donghyuck got lost in New York.”

Mark tried to focus on Jeno, aware that he was trying to make him feel better. He could hear Taeyong and Johnny in the front, Taeyong looking into the back to make sure he was ok while Johnny clutched the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white as he drove. “We’ll be at the hospital soon, Mark, I promise, but in the meantime, tell us this story,” Taeyong encouraged him. 

“It-we just went for a walk,” Mark panted, both hands clutching at his temples. Jeno’s arms were still supporting him, tapping a gentle rhythm on his upper arm as he tried to calm Mark down. He suppressed another pained scream, biting on the inside of his cheek as he tried to focus on the story. “And Hyuck saw...he saw...a food cart...and we...we started trying food…and we kept-kept moving far and... ”It was getting harder for Mark to breathe, let alone speak. “And then I looked around, and- fuck!” He swore for the first time, letting the syllable fall from his lips. His vision went black, then white, then red, and he swore he could feel blood dripping from his eye sockets, matching the coppery taste in his mouth.

It felt like a knife was piercing his skull, twisting as it went in, and he could feel bile rising in his throat. He tried to swallow, but swallowing hurt his head, and he could do nothing but cough pitifully, choking as he let the little water in his stomach out. It hurt so bad, and now his ears were ringing too, making him hypersensitive and numb all at once. He yanked on a fistful of his hair, trying to make the pain stop, and it seemed to help a little, so he did it again and again until Ten was prying the hair out of hands, and he cried out again, tears sliding down his cheeks because Ten wanted him to feel the pain, Ten didn’t care that it helped him, and he hated his hyung right then; he flailed desperately, wishing Jeno would let him go, and then, miraculously, as if his prayers were being answered, he could feel himself being lifted up out of Jeno’s lap and carried away to someplace foreign. The knife in his skull stabbed downwards, and with a final cry of agony, Mark slipped away into unconsciousness, the pain too overwhelming for him to stay awake any longer.

**********

Ten raced ahead into the hospital, yelling for a doctor as Johnny and Taeyong manoeuvred a groaning Mark out of Jeno’s lap and into the air. Mark’s eyes had rolled into the back of his head, and he was crying softly, one arm limp by his side while the other stayed loosely in his hair, gripping at the roots. Jeno clambered out after them, his eyes wide with fear. Taeyong’s face was grim, and he urged Johnny forward the second he had adjusted Mark in his arms. 

Johnny started walking as fast as he could, aware that every jostle Mark received was hurting the boy. Mark’s body arched in his arms, and he let out a pain-filled with noise. Johnny cursed, almost dropping Mark, and when Mark went completely limp, unconscious, Taeyong let out a choked noise. “Hurry!”

Ten reappeared with the same doctor that had treated Mark before and several nurses just as they reached the entrance. “His headache restarted up again, but so intense that I think he passed out,” Ten was telling the doctor as Johnny lowered Mark down onto the gurney the nurses were pushing. Within a split second, Mark had disappeared from their view, leaving only the four of them standing side by side in the entrance. 

Jeno pushed his hair out of his face, feeling the perspiration beading across his forehead from the stress. Taeyong sat down heavily on a chair, his leg shaking with nerves, and Johnny frowned, putting an arm around Jeno. “Don’t worry, Jeno. He’ll be ok. Mark’s a fighter, he’ll get through this.” Jeno nodded, trying to believe what Johnny was telling him. He didn’t mention that the slight tremble in Johnny’s frame meant that there was a chance his hyung wouldn't be ok, and he simply hugged Johnny back as silently as he could.

It seemed like an age before the doctor came back. Ten was on the phone with Taeil, relaying the doctor’s words live to him and the rest of the group as she began speaking. “Can we see him?” Taeyong asked, climbing to his feet. 

The doctor nodded, and instantly, Taeyong was gone, pushing past her to the room where his little brother was still lying unconscious. Jeno paused, torn for a moment before he decided to stay, needing to know what had happened so suddenly to his hyung. Johnny stepped forward, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. “What caused the headache? Do you know?” he asked tentatively.

“We sent him for a second CT scan, just to be sure that there was nothing we may have missed the first time around, like a blood clot.” Johnny’s breath caught as his mind rushed through the implications of the doctor’s statement. “Luckily, there was nothing in Minhyung’s scan to suggest anything of the sort.”

“So what is it?”

“Well, I believe that he’s been straining his eyes too much to try and see, and it’s caused him to have a migraine but with increased intensity. His brain can’t handle the strain, and it’s trying to shut down because of it. It’s definitely something that can be treated.”

Johnny exhaled, the relief instantly palpable. “That’s right. We’ve been doing as much as we can to help him, you know, there’s twenty of us there, pretty much at all times, but...he was very upset.” The doctor inclined her head, a small smile on her lips. “It’s possible that in those moments that he tried to do something he shouldn’t have been.”

“Has he been sleeping well?” 

Jeno shook his head straight away. “We’ve been taking turns staying up with him because he can’t sleep at night,” he offered. “He doesn’t sleep at all in the night, and during the day, he takes small naps, maybe forty minutes at most.”

“That’s also a factor,” the doctor nodded. “Well, what I’ve done is placed dressings across both eyes. For the moment, he’s still unconscious, but I’m not too worried about that. However, I will be monitoring him for the next two days to ensure his headaches do not get any worse.”

“How long will he have to wear these dressings?”

“Two weeks should be enough to try and recover the damage to his occipital lobe,” the doctor told him. There was silence between them for a moment, broken only by Ten quietly relaying information to Taeil. “You can go in and see him now, if you wish.”

The doctor bowed and left, and they began the short walk to Mark’s room. Taeyong was sitting next to him, holding his hand with his head bowed. He looked up as Johnny, Ten and Jeno entered, putting a finger on his lips to indicate that Mark was still sleeping. It pained them to see Mark with his eyes practically taped shut, but his face looked so much more peaceful and not in pain. Johnny noted that the dressings on his fingers had been redone more skillfully than he’d been able to do himself, and he sighed as he sat on the edge of Mark’s bed, giving Jeno the other seat.

“Do you want something to eat?” Johnny asked Taeyong softly, but Taeyong shook his head, not looking up. 

“I’m fine.” He squeezed Mark’s hand tighter. “You go ahead.” Johnny gestured to Ten, and the two of them left, leaving Jeno and Taeyong alone with Mark. Jeno took Mark’s other hand in his, trying to forget the feeling of his hyung crying out in his lap as he squeezed, hoping that Mark was ok now.

I’m sorry, Mark,” Taeyong whispered, looking up as tears coursed down his cheek. “We’re never leaving you again, I promise.”

**********

Mark was confused. He was sure he was awake, but he couldn’t see a thing. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt like they were glued shut, as if his eyelashes were made of lead. He frowned, jerking his hand up, and he smacked himself in the forehead. “Ah,” he hissed, slowly pulling himself upwards. And then he froze. He lifted up a hand, gently touching his forehead this time, and he sighed. He could feel tape on his head. And that meant they’d taped his eyes shut. 

“Mark?” He felt hands taking his and putting them gently in his lap. “You’re ok, I promise.”

“Hyung?” he whispered. “What’s happening? What did I do?”

“Nothing, you did absolutely nothing.” It was Taeyong, he could tell by the way he was speaking. The bed dipped as Taeyong took a seat, gently pushing Mark back to recline. “You strained your eyes too much, and it caused a migraine. The doctor decided that to prevent any further damage, she would cover your eyes and let your brain heal from your fall.” 

Mark took in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, hyung.” He reached up to touch the bandages around his face, gently seeing how far they were going. “How long do I have to keep these on?”

Taeyong sighed. “Two weeks.” He stayed quiet for a moment, letting Mark process what he was hearing. “Mark, I just...I wanted to apologise. I know we argued, and you even tried to kidnap Taeil hyung-” Mark let out a water laugh, and Taeyong smiled too, “-but as a leader, it was my responsibility to look after you. In fact, not even as a leader, just as a decent human being! I should’ve stayed behind to make sure you were ok.”

Mark patted Taeyong’s hand. “Hyung, I think it’s fair for me to say that we need to stop with the blame game. I’ve blamed myself enough for this already, and I know you have as well, but honestly? It’s nobody’s fault. Don’t apologise, because...well, it wasn’t your fault. How could you have known that I would try and be a hero and do something dangerous?”

“I hate the fact that you’re right,” Taeyong mumbled, crushing Mark against him in a tight hug. 

“Ouch, my ribs!” Mark grunted, and Taeyong released him, and while Mark couldn’t see his hyung, he knew that Taeyong was almost certainly crying with relief. “I’ll be ok, hyung, I promise.”

“I know you will, Mark Lee.”

**********

It had been two weeks since Mark had the dressings put on his eyes, and he was more than ready to take them off. He barely remembered what the world around looked like anymore, and he was honestly nervous. Although the doctor had said this would help, it didn’t mean that he would get his sight back, did it? What if the loss of his sight was long-term?

He knew that aside from Johnny and Taeyong, two other members had accompanied him, but the other two had been silent through the whole appointment so far, and Mark knew that they were there for him to test his sight. He had a feeling he knew who it was, knowing that certain members couldn’t stay quiet for too long, but he knew not to jump the gun with his assumptions.

“Ok, shall we remove your dressings, then?” he heard the doctor say, and Mark hesitated. Johnny squeezed his thigh, and then Mark nodded. He heard the sound of blinds being shut, and he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth in anticipation. The doctor started to remove the dressings from his eyes, peeling them gently away from the dry, sore skin underneath, and he winced.

The air hit his face unexpectedly, and he scrunched up his eyes tighter, feeling the tape being gently pulled away from him. It took a couple of minutes for the doctor to remove every last piece of bandage and tape from his face; to Mark, it simultaneously felt like seconds and hours. Eventually, she sat back, and Mark could vaguely see the outline of shadows through his eyelids, even with the blinds down.

“Do you want to open your eyes?” 

Instantly, Mark opened his eyes, but winced when the light hit them and shut them again. “It stings!” he complained. 

“That’s normal,” the doctor encouraged him. “Try again.”

“You’ve got this, Mark,” Taeyong told him, and Mark could hear the grin on his face. Slowly, he opened his eyes again, letting himself adjust to the light and ignoring the sting of air hitting his eyeballs. It took a moment for him to decipher the blurry outline standing in front of him, and when he blinked and the figure came into focus, he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Oh my God, I can see you!” he exclaimed. “Xiaojun, it’s been a while!”

“It has,” Xiaojun grinned, and Mark felt tears welling up in his eyes as he hugged Xiaojun. He could finally see. It still hurt, and it took him time to get his vision into focus, but he could see. 

“Congratulations,” Taeyong whispered, and turning his head, he saw Taeyong sobbing too. 

“Aw, hyung, don’t cry,” Mark half-laughed, pulling Taeyong’s arm as he wiped away his own tears. “It’s ok! I’m ok, I promise.”

“I’m not crying,” Taeyong sniffled, prompting even the doctor to chuckle along with them. 

“Yes you are!” Mark focused over Taeyong’s shoulder to see Chenle bouncing excitedly on his feet. 

“Jesus, Chenle, how did they get you to stay so quiet this entire time?” Mark exclaimed,and Chenle glared at him.

“Excuse me, I’m the King of being quiet.” Mark laughed and held out his arms for Chenle, and with only the smallest amount of grumbling, Chenle squeezed his hyung tightly. 

“Ok, let him go, Chenle, the doctor still needs to check on him.” Johnny pulled Chenle backwards a little to allow the doctor to shine lights in Mark’s eyes. He winced at the brightness of the beams, but the doctor seemed satisfied. 

“I’m satisfied with your recovery,” she told him with a gentle smile. “Your eyes will be sensitive for a few days, so make sure you wear sunglasses, even while you’re indoors, to allow yourself to get re-accustomed to the light exposure. Be careful when you wash your face, the skin around your eyes is very irritated at the moment. But yes, all is in order. Congratulations, Mr Lee.” 

“Here, you can use my sunglasses.” Johnny rummaged in his bag to pull out his own designer pair, and Mark gasped as he saw them. 

“You never let me use them!”

“Take it or leave it, Mark Lee, it’s a one time offer,” Johnny told him warningly. Grinning widely, Mark took the glasses and slipped them on, sighing as his eyes readjusted. He kept the smile on his face even when the four of them left the office and went back down to their waiting car, and even when he’d finally gone to bed later that night, as he was so happy to have his sight back.

He was no longer blind.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed this fic! It was kinda difficult to write ngl, especially because I'm not an expert in all things medical, so there may have been some inaccuracies, but none-the-less, I hope I did the storyline justice. As always, comments and kudos are appreciated, they give me confidence that my writing is good (ish), and it motivates me to write more and improve! 
> 
> If you wanna catch up w/me, my twitter is @pcyjunguwudays :) See y'all soon uwu <3


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